Automatic electric setwork assembly



Feb. 26, 1952 A. R. BROWN AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC YSETWORK ASSEMBLY Filed April 16, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 00 I d a. N w 0 MN 9%.

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AlFreJR..Brown ATI'D RN EYS Feb. 26, 1952 A. BROWN AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC SETWORK ASSEMBLY 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 16, 1947 INVENTOR. AZFreJR.-Bro W77 ATTEIRNEYS Patented Feb. 26, 1952 AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC SETWORK ASSEMBLY Alfred B. Brown, Kelso, Wash. Application April 16, 1947, Serial No. 741,760 3 Claims. (01. 143-120) This invention relates to an automatic electric set device for locating the knees on the head blocks of a saw mill carriage.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic electric control device which when set will locate the knee of a saw mill carriage to the desired location to determine the thickness of the cut to be taken by the saw wherein the operator need only to set the dial and automatically the adjustment is made, there being an electric motor for effecting this operation whereby to eliminate the necessity for hand power.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide an automatic electric setting device for saw mill knees which is of simple construction, easily set, inexpensive to manufacture and efficient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view looking upon the setting device and upon the knee adapted to be adjusted and set by the set device.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of an arrangement showing two knees connected with a log to be adjusted and the power operating unit and set device.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged rear elevational view of the set device.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the set device with portions broken away to show the interior of the same.

Fig. 5 (sheet 2) is a fragmentary top plan view showing the connection of the pulley cord with one of the knees, the connection being such as to effect a tightening of the pulley cord.

Referring now to the figures, l0 represents the platform or base of a saw mil1 carriage on which are mounted a plurality of knees ll having a vertically extending portion l2 with a looking dog I3 thereon for attachment with a log l5. All of these head blocks are provided with rack teeth IS with which pinion gears I! on a i shaft I8 engages to effect the in and out adjustment of the knees. The shaft I 8 connects then to one knee or to several depending on how many there are on the carriage. The shaft I8 is driven by an electric motor 2| acting through a reduction gear unit 22, a clutch 23 and a gear connection 24 with the end of the shaft iii. The electric motor 2| has a magnetic brake 25 and is connected with the gear reduction unit 22 by a flexible coupling 26.

At one side of the saw mill is a set device 3| having a base 32 with a pedestal pipe 33 extending upwardly therefrom. On the top of the pedestal 33 is an indexing head 5 in a vertically extending frame 34 having a bearing block 35 as shown in Fig. 3 intermediate its height for supporting a shaft 36 to which is connected a sprocket 31 and a pointing or indicating arm 38 (Fig. 1) extending laterally over a measuring scale or dial 33 mounted on the frame 34 and providing the face of the indexing head. The measuring scale has indications thereon representative of the location to which the knees are to be stationed.

From the sprocket 37 there extends a chain 41 connected with a hand wheel 42 on a counter shaft 2 through a sprocket 3 on the counter shaft so that the indicating arm 38 can be set to the desired position on the scale 39. A handle 43 is provided on the wheel 42 to operate the same. Also on the shaft 36 is a large pulley 44 over which there is extended a flexible steel cord or cable 45 that extends downwardly over pulleys 46 and into the pedestal pipe 33. At the lower end of the pipe 33 and in the base 32 the cord 45 extends over guide pulleys 4? and laterally through the base for engagement with a pulley 48 as shown in Figs. 2 and 5 on the knee ll adjacent the pedestal 33. In order to have the proper tension on the driving cord 45, the pulley 48 is adjustably mounted or connected to a base block 5[ on the side of the knee. The pulley 48 is pivoted on a plate 52 which has a threaded bolt 53 thereon extending through a projection 54 on the block 5|. The plate 52 has elongated slots 55 and guide bolts 56 extend up through them. Locking nuts 51 on the threaded bolt 53 looks the pulley in the adjusted position.

Once the setting of the indicator arm 38 has been effected, a manually operated forward and reverse switch 6| is operated. With the motor being of the reversible type the switch can operate the same in either one direction or the other to extend the knee or to retract the knee. A motor starting device 52 is provided on the pedestal and is connected by cable 63 with the motor 2|. Other cables 64 may connect the motor starter device 52 with an electric source.

On the knee adjacent the pedestal is a limit switch 65 connected by a cable 6'5 from a high point on the frame 34 so as to permit the limit switch 65 to travel with the knee. This cable 67 extends through the motor starter control 52. On the adjustable cable cord 45 is a trip device 69 as shown in Fig. 2 which will engage the limit,

3 switch to operate the same as the knees approach the limit of the outward travel.

At the lower end of the pedestal 33 is a reverse limit switch ll connected by a cable 12 with the motor starter device 62. This limit switch H is adapted to be operated by a pin 13 on the knee H as the knee is retracted. Thus there are provided two stop devices, one of which limits outward travel of the knees and the other inward travel thereof and the stop device limiting the outward travel is adjustable while the other is fixed.

The magnetic brake 25 located on the high speed side of the reduction gear unit 22 thereby stopping over-travel when the limit switch is tripped. The operator can allow the knees to travel in the reverse direction without attention as they will be stopped by the reverse travel limit switch. This allows the operator to perform other duties without being worried about the knees becoming jammed.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. In a saw mill carriage setworks, the combination which comprises a carriage spaced knees slidably mounted and transversely positioned on the said carriage, a limit switch carried by one of the said knees, an indexing head mounted on the carriage, said indexing head having a dial with graduations thereon in the face thereof, a pointer rotatably mounted in the indexing head and positioned to coact with the graduations of the dial, a wheel journaled in the indexing head and operatively connected to the pointer, a pulley mounted in the carriage, a cable trained over the wheel in the indexing head and also over the pulley in the carriage, a stop adjustably mounted on the cable, said pulley positioned whereby the stop on the cable is positioned to be engaged by the limit switch of the knee, a motor on the carriage, means operatively connecting the motor to the knees of the carriage, and a circuit for supplying current to the motor connected to the said limit switch.

2. In a sawmill carriage setworks, the combination which comprises a carriage, spaced knees slidably mounted and transversely positioned on the said carriage, a first limit switch carried by one of the said knees, an indexing head mounted on the carriage, said indexing head having a dial with graduations thereon in the face thereof, a pointer rotatably mounted in the indexing head and positioned to coact with the graduations of the dial, a wheel journaled in the indexing head and operatively connected to the pointer, a pulley mounted in the carriage,

a cable trained over the wheel in the indexing head and also over the pulley in the carriage, a

4 stop adjustably mounted on the cable, said pulley positioned whereby the stop on the cable is positioned to be engaged by the limit switch of the knee, a motor on the carriage, means operatively connecting the motor to the knees of the carriage, a second limit switch mounted on the carriage, a pin carried by one of said knees and positioned to engage the limit switch on the carriage to limit return movement of the knees,

a magnetic brake positioned to coact with the motor for stopping the motor when either of the limit switches is actuated, and a circuit for supplying current to the motor and connected through the said limit switches.

3. In a saw mill carriage setworks, the combination which comprises a carriage, spaced knees slidably mounted and transversely positioned on the said carriage, a first limit switch carried by one of the said knees, an indexing head mounted on the carriage, said indexing head having a dial with graduations thereon in the face thereof, a shaft journaled in the said indexing head and extended through the dial, a pointer carried by the extended end of the shaft and positioned to coact with graduations on the dial, a wheel mounted on the shaft, a counter shaft having a hand wheel on the outer end also journaled in the indexing head, means rotating the shaft on which the pointer is positioned by the counter shaft, a pulley mounted in the carriage, a cable trained over the wheel in the indexing head and also over the pulley in the carriage, a stop adjustably mounted on the cable, said pulley positioned whereby the stop on the cable is positioned to be engaged by the limit switch of the knee, a motor on the carriage, means operatively connecting the motor to the knees of the carriage, a second limit switch mounted on the carriage, a pin carried by one of said knees and positioned to engage the limit switch on the carriage to limit return movement of the knees, a magnetic brake positioned to coact with the motor for stopping the motor when either of the limit switches is actuated, and a circuit for supplying current to the motor and connected through the said limit switches.

ALFRED R. BROWN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 858,64'1 Whisler et al. July 2, 1907 2,175,822 Best Oct. 10, 1939 2,342,967 Peters Feb. 29, 1944 

